Laftly; By convincing our hearts of the vanity of every thing else to afford us any real help or comfort: This is to be effected by Self-denial.

Dying perfons are generally more devout than others, because they then fee their own mifery, that nothing in this world can help them, and that God is their only refuge.

We must change our lives, if we defire to change our hearts. God will have no regard to the prayers of those who have none to his commands.

The Spirit of God will not dwell in a divided heart. We cannot feel the pleasure of devotion, while the world is our delight. Not that all pleasures are criminal; but the clofer union we have with the world, the lefs is our union with God. Christian, therefore, who strives after devotion, fhould tafte fenfual pleasures very fparingly, fhould

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make neceffity, not bodily delight, his rule.

In order to dispose our hearts to devotion, THE ACTIVE LIFE to be preferred to the CONTEMPLATIVE.

To be doing good to mankind, disposes the foul moft powerfully to devotion. And indeed we are furrounded with motives of piety and devotion, if we would but mind them.

The poor are defigned to excite our liberality;-the miferable, our pity;-the fick our affistance ;—the ignorant, our inftruction;-thofe that are fallen, our helping hand. In those that are vain, we see the vanity of this world. In those that are wicked, our own frailty. When we fee good men rewarded, it confirms our hope; and when evil men are punished, it excites us to fear.

He that would be devout, must beware of indulging an habit of wandering in prayer. It is a crime that

will

grow upon us, and will deprive us of the bleffings we pray for.

Avoid, as much as may be, multiplicity of bufinefs: Neither the innocency nor the goodness of the employment will excuse us, if it possess our hearts when we are praying to God.

When our Lord bids us TO TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW, he intended to hinder those cares and fears which are apt to distract our devotions, which are the more unreasonable, because they never can change the state of things.

Never be curious to know what paffes in the world, any further than duty obliges you; it will only distract the mind when it should be better employed.

Never intermit devotion, if you can help it; you will return to your duty, like Samfon when his locks were cut, weak and indifferent as other people of the world.

The oftener we renew our intercourfe with God, the greater will be our devotion.

Frequent prayer, as it is an exercife of holy thoughts, is a most natural remedy against the power of fin.

Importunity makes no change in God, but it creates in us fuch difpofitions as God thinks fit to reward.

Make it a law to yourself to meditate before you pray; as alfo to make certain pauses, to fee whether your heart goes along with your lips. They whofe hearts defire nothing, pray for nothing.

Give me, O God, the Spirit of true devotion, fuch as may give life to all my prayers, so that they may find acceptance in thy fight, for Jefus Chrift's fake! Amen.

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SACRA PRIVATA.

Thou, when thou prayeft, enter into thy clofet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in fecret; and thy Father, which Seeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly.

HOW good is God! who will not only give us what we pray for, but will reward us for going to him, and laying our wants before him.

May I always prefent myself before God-with a firm faith and hope in his promises and mercy;-with great reverence to his infinite majesty; -with the humility of an offender; -and with a full purpose of keeping all God's commandments!

May the thoughts of eternity quicken my devotions ;-my wants